Charcoal igniter with bottom release grate

ABSTRACT

A charcoal igniter and food cooker, including an upper section such that the upper section includes a first conical section having a distal end and a proximal end such that the proximal end of the first conical section includes a first conical section opening, a fire chamber having a distal end and a proximal end such that a releasable grate is located adjacent to the distal end of the fire chamber and the distal end of the first conical section is located adjacent to the proximal end of the fire chamber, wherein an amount of charcoal to be ignited is located within the fire chamber and adjacent to the releasable grate; and a stationary lower section such that the upper section is retained within the stationary lower section, wherein the stationary lower section includes a second conical section having a distal end and a proximal end such that the proximal end of the second conical section is located adjacent to the upper section and the distal end of the second conical section includes a second conical section opening, wherein the first and second conical openings have a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the fire chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation-in-part application whichclaims benefit to U.S. patent application No. 15/365,494, entitled“Charcoal Igniter and Cooker Having a Venturi and Methods of UsingSame”, filed on Nov. 30, 2016 which claims benefit to ProvisionalApplication No. 62/261,857, entitled “Charcoal Rocket”, filed on Dec. 2,2015. Also the present application is a continuation-in-part applicationwhich claims benefit to Provisional Application No. 62/459,059, entitled“Charcoal Igniter with Bottom Release Grate”, filed on Feb. 15, 2017.The applications stated above are hereby incorporated by reference as ifset forth in their entirety herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to a charcoal igniter, andmore particularly to a charcoal igniter with a removable/releasablebottom grate system that moves out of the way of the charcoal or ignitedwood chunks and allows the chunks to fall out the bottom of the charcoaligniter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Prior to the present invention, as set forth in general terms above andmore specifically below, it is known, to employ various types ofcharcoal igniters. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,565 by Karpinia,U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,237 by Karpinia, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,835 byStephen et al. While these various charcoal igniters may have beengenerally satisfactory, there is nevertheless a need for a new andimproved charcoal igniter that is constructed with aremovable/releasable bottom grate so that the ignited charcoal may bereleased out of the bottom of the igniter unit thereby enabling a saferand more efficient process of igniting charcoal and delivering theburning charcoal to the cooking device such as a grill.

Current charcoal igniters have been on the market for some time. Forexample, a company named Weber has been selling various chimney-stylecharcoal starters for many years. Typically, these devices on the marketare approximately 12″ tall and 7″ to 8″ in diameter and often contain afire grate at approximately 3″ from the bottom of the cylindrical shape,as well as holes around a circumference near the bottom of the cylinderfor airflow. However, these existing chimney-style charcoal starterstypically have a fixed grate near the bottom of the cylindrical section.During operation of these chimney-style charcoal starters, charcoal isplaced inside the cylinder such that the charcoal is located on top ofthe grate and then the charcoal is ignited. Once the ignited charcoal isready for use, the user then has to hold the hot chimney-style charcoalstarter and tip it over to dump out the hot coals into another devicesuch as a charcoal grill where the actual cooking will take place.

It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill these and other needs inthe charcoal igniter art in a manner more apparent to the skilledartisan once given the following disclosure.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the present invention is a charcoal igniter having acircular or non-circular fire chamber such that the inside cavity of thefire chamber has an upper opening to the atmosphere, and a lower openingof the cross section to the atmosphere, and there is some means ofsuspending a releasable/removable grate within the cross section towardthe bottom of the cavity. The cavity is filled with charcoal and thecharcoal rests on the releasable grate. It is ignited and burns on topof the grate. The grate is then released to discharge the charcoal outof the bottom of the cavity.

Another aspect of the present invention described in the earlierapplication (in FIGS. 6 through 10) is upper airflow pipes. In thepresent invention, these upper airflow pipes are given further useherein as a means to creating more efficient combustion in the charcoaligniter and as a secondary use as a handle because airflow through thehandle actually helps to cool the pipe, and these may be applied toevery embodiment of the igniter in this present invention due to theirfunctionality of working with a releasable grate system. In addition,the first aspect of the present invention may be applied to conventionalcharcoal chimney styles, as indicated in FIG. 13A, to make anincremental improvement in itself over the current art.

A second aspect of the present invention is a charcoal igniter and foodcooker, including an upper section such that the upper section includesa first conical section having a distal end and a proximal end such thatthe proximal end of the first conical section includes a first conicalsection opening, a fire chamber having a distal end and a proximal endsuch that a releasable grate is located adjacent to the distal end ofthe fire chamber and the distal end of the first conical section islocated adjacent to the proximal end of the fire chamber, wherein anamount of charcoal to be ignited is located within the fire chamber andadjacent to the releasable grate; and a stationary lower section suchthat the upper section is retained within the stationary lower section,wherein the stationary lower section includes a second conical sectionhaving a distal end and a proximal end such that the proximal end of thesecond conical section is located adjacent to the upper section and thedistal end of the second conical section includes a second conicalsection opening, wherein the first and second conical openings have adiameter that is larger than a diameter of the fire chamber.

In one embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, thecharcoal igniter and food cooker include at least one opening locatedbetween the upper section and the stationary lower section, wherein aportion of the releasable grate is located within the opening.

In another embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, thecharcoal igniter and food cooker include a plurality of supportsoperatively attached to the upper section and the stationary lowersection in order to form the opening.

In another embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, theplurality of supports includes a plurality of support brackets, whereineach of the plurality of support brackets is operatively connected toeach of the supports.

In another embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, theplurality of support brackets includes a pivoting support pivotallyconnected to one of the plurality of support brackets, wherein thepivoting support includes at least one support extension having a firstend and a second end, wherein the first end of the pivoting support isoperatively connected to one of the plurality of support brackets.

In another embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, thepivoting support includes a cooking implement having a plurality ofsupport legs, wherein the second end of the pivoting support isoperatively connected to one of the support legs.

A third aspect of the present invention is a charcoal igniter, includingan upper section such that the upper section includes an elongatedchimney stack having a first end, a first conical section having adistal end and a proximal end such that the proximal end of the firstconical section includes a first conical section opening locatedadjacent to the first end of the elongated chimney stack, a fire chamberhaving a distal end and a proximal end such that a releasable grate islocated adjacent to the distal end of the fire chamber and the distalend of the first conical section is located adjacent to the proximal endof the fire chamber, wherein an amount of charcoal to be ignited islocated within the fire chamber and adjacent to the releasable grate;and a stationary lower section such that the upper section is retainedwithin the stationary lower section, wherein the stationary lowersection includes a second conical section having a distal end and aproximal end such that the proximal end of the second conical section islocated adjacent to the upper section and the distal end of the secondconical section includes a second conical section opening, wherein thefirst and second conical openings have a diameter that is larger than adiameter of the fire chamber.

In one embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, thecharcoal igniter includes at least one opening located between the uppersection and the stationary lower section, wherein a portion of thereleasable grate is located within the opening.

In another embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, thestationary lower section includes an upper leg support, and a lower legsupport, wherein the upper leg support and the lower leg support areoperatively connected to a plurality of supporting legs.

In another embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, theupper section includes a plurality of handles operatively attached tothe chimney stack, a chimney stack connector operatively connected tothe extended chimney stack, and a strut having a first end and a secondend such that the first end of the strut is operatively connected to thechimney stack connector and the second end of the strut is operativelyconnected to one of the plurality of supporting legs.

In even further embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention,the charcoal igniter includes at least one support bracket operativelyconnected to the upper section and the lower section in order to formthe opening.

In still another embodiment of the third aspect of the presentinvention, the at least one support bracket includes a bracket base, abracket opening located on the bracket base, and a bracket ledge locatedat one end of the bracket base.

In yet another embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention,the at least one support bracket includes a bracket base, a plurality ofbracket arms having a first end and a second end such that the first endof each of the bracket arms is operatively connected to the bracketbase, and a bracket opening located adjacent to the second end of eachof the plurality of bracket arms.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a charcoal igniter having arefractory insert, including: an upper section such that the uppersection includes an elongated chimney stack having a first end, arefractory insert such that the refractory insert includes a firstconical section having a distal end and a proximal end such that theproximal end of the first conical section includes a first conicalsection opening facing the first end of the elongated chimney stack, afire chamber having a distal end and a proximal end such that areleasable grate is located adjacent to the distal end of the firechamber and the distal end of the first conical section is locatedadjacent to the proximal end of the fire chamber, wherein an amount ofcharcoal to be ignited is located within the fire chamber and adjacentto the releasable grate; and a stationary lower section such that theupper section is retained on the stationary lower section, wherein thestationary lower section includes a second section having a distal endand a proximal end such that the proximal end of the second section islocated adjacent to the upper section and the distal end of the secondsection includes a second section opening, wherein the first conicalopening and the second opening have a larger opening area that is largerthan a diameter of the fire chamber.

In one embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, therefractory insert includes a refractory insert upper conical opening, arefractory insert upper opening located adjacent to the refractoryinsert upper conical opening, a fire chamber having a first end and asecond end, wherein the first end of the fire chamber is operativelyconnected to the refractory insert upper opening, a refractory insertlower opening, wherein the second end of the fire chamber is operativelyconnected to the refractory insert lower opening, a refractory insertlower conical opening located adjacent to the refractory insert loweropening, and a refractory insert sleeve, wherein the refractory sleeveencloses the refractory insert upper conical opening, the refractoryinsert upper opening, the fire chamber, the refractory insert loweropening, and the refractory insert lower conical opening.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, thestationary lower section includes a grate actuator operatively connectedto the releasable grate.

In still yet another embodiment of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention, the stationary lower section includes a damper locatedadjacent to the releasable grate, and a damper actuator operativelyconnected to the damper.

In still another embodiment of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention, the damper includes a plate damper.

In an even still another embodiment of the fourth aspect of the presentinvention, the stationary lower section includes an accelerator section,wherein the accelerator section has a first end and a second end suchthat the first end of the accelerator section includes the secondopening.

In yet another embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention,the accelerator section includes a flared section such that an area ofthe first end of the accelerator section is wider in cross-section thanthe second end of the accelerator section.

The preferred charcoal igniter with a venturi effect having aremovable/releasable bottom grate, according to various embodiments ofthe present invention, offers the following advantages: ease of use ofthe charcoal igniter; excellent charcoal ignition capabilities; theability to use the charcoal igniter as a food cooker; the ability toprovide air substantially throughout the entire amount of charcoal inthe igniter; lightness in weight; excellent durability; portability; theability to dump out the ignited charcoal without having to excessivelyhandle the charcoal igniter; the ability to move the charcoal igniterout of the way of the grilling surface after the ignited charcoal hasbeen dumped into the grilling area; and reduced cost. In fact, in manyof the preferred embodiments, these advantages are optimized to anextent that is considerably higher than heretofore achieved in prior,known charcoal igniters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned features and steps of the invention and the mannerof attaining them will become apparent, and the invention itself will bebest understood by reference to the following description of theembodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like characters represent like parts throughout theseveral views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter having aventuri, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the lower section of the charcoaligniter, with the upper section removed, constructed according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the upper section of the charcoaligniter, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cut-away view of the upper section of the charcoal igniter,showing the internal air flow risers and the fire infusion pipe,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cut-away view of the upper section of the charcoal igniter,showing another embodiment of the internal air flow risers, wherein theinternal air flow risers are bending inwardly to infuse airflow into themid-section of the fire chamber, constructed according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of thecharcoal igniter having a venturi, wherein this embodiment includesexternal air flow pipes, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the lower section of the anotherembodiment of the charcoal igniter having a venturi, as shown in FIG. 6,wherein the external airflow pipes are attached to the acceleratorsection, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of the upper section of the anotherembodiment of the charcoal igniter having a venturi, as shown in FIG. 6,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the upper section of the another embodiment ofthe charcoal igniter having a venturi, as shown in FIG. 8, constructedaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of a third embodiment of thecharcoal igniter having a venturi, wherein this embodiment includesanother embodiment of the external air flow pipes with the distal endsof the external air flow pipes terminating in the atmosphere,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of an even still another embodimentof the charcoal igniter having a venturi, wherein this embodimentincludes an extended chimney stack, constructed according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of the extended chimney stack ofFIG. 11, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 13A shows the upper airflow pipe acting as a handle attached to thefire chamber of an igniter;

FIG. 13B shows an upper airflow pipe that has a secondary function as ahandle, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter with a firstembodiment of a removable/releasable bottom grate, constructed accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter with a secondembodiment of a removable/releasable bottom grate, constructed accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter with a thirdembodiment of a removable/releasable bottom grate, constructed accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter having aventuri with a fourth embodiment of a removable/releasable bottom grate,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a schematic illustration of a removable/releasable bottomgrate for use in connection with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 14 and17, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter having aventuri showing the fourth embodiment with the removable/releasablebottom grate being inserted within the charcoal igniter, constructedaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter having aventuri showing the fourth embodiment with the removable/releasablebottom grate being inserted within the charcoal igniter and the charcoaligniter being located over a grill, prior to the ignited charcoal beingdumped onto the grill, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter having aventuri showing the fourth embodiment with the removable/releasablebottom grate being inserted within the charcoal igniter and the charcoaligniter being located away from a grill, after the “first batch” ofignited charcoal has been dumped onto the grill, and a “second batch” ofunburned charcoal has been placed into the igniter for a second ignitionsequence, constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a schematic illustration of a charcoal igniter having aventuri showing the fourth embodiment with the removable/releasablebottom grate being inserted within the charcoal igniter and the charcoaligniter being located over a grill, prior to the ignited charcoal beingdumped onto the grill, according to another embodiment of the charcoaligniter support, according to the present invention;

FIG. 23A is a schematic illustration of still another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter having a venturi showing the fourth embodiment with theremovable/releasable bottom grate being inserted within the charcoaligniter, wherein this embodiment includes an extended chimney stack,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 23B is a schematic illustration of the fire chamber support bracketfor use in conjunction with the charcoal igniter of FIG. 23A,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 23C is a detailed view of the fire chamber support brackets beingattached to the charcoal igniter to form the opening, constructedaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 24A is a schematic illustration of yet another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter having a venturi showing the fourth embodiment with theremovable/releasable bottom grate being inserted within the charcoaligniter, wherein this embodiment includes an extended chimney stack,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 24B is a schematic illustration of the fire chamber support bracketfor use in conjunction with the charcoal igniter of FIG. 24A,constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 24C is a detailed view of the fire chamber support brackets beingattached to the charcoal igniter to form the opening, constructedaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 25A is a schematic illustration of still another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter having a refractory insert venturi with aremovable/releasable bottom grate, wherein this embodiment includes anextended chimney stack, constructed according to the present invention;and

FIG. 25B is a schematic illustration of the refractory insert for use inconjunction with the charcoal igniter of FIG. 25A, constructed accordingto the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a charcoal igniter 100that is constructed with a venturi. As will be explained hereinafter ingreater detail, the charcoal igniter 100 uses a venturi in order to moreefficiently and quickly ignite the charcoal 10. Also, the charcoaligniter 100 can possibly be used as a food cooker, as will discussed ingreater detail later.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, charcoal igniter 100,includes, in part, upper section 100U and lower section 100L. Withrespect to lower section 100L, as shown in FIG. 2, lower section 100Lincludes, in part, accelerator section 1, opening 1 a, ash collectionpan 5 (FIG. 1), a plurality of support legs 6, igniter port 7, igniterport cap 7 a, upper leg support 13, and lower leg support 14. It is tobe understood that the various components of lower section 100L can beconstructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel orstainless steel. It is to be further understood that an optional blower8 or other suitable device can be used to provide increased air flowthrough the opening 1 a of accelerator section 1.

With respect to accelerator section 1, accelerator section 1 isconventionally attached to lower leg support 14 by conventionalfasteners. Also, support legs 6 are also conventionally attached tolower leg support 14 and upper leg support 13 by conventional fasteners.As shown in FIG. 1, accelerator section 1 includes an opening 1 a. It isto be understood that this opening 1 a must be bigger in diameter (orcross-section) than the diameter (or cross-section) of the fire chamber2 in order to provide the proper venturi effect in charcoal igniter 100.It is to be further understood that the dimensions and distance betweenupper leg support 13 and lower leg support 14 should be such that uppersection 100U is able to be removably retained within lower section 100Land still allow the charcoal 10 located within fire chamber 2 to beproperly ignited.

Regarding ash collection pan 5, preferably, ash collection pan 5 is anysuitable collection pan that is capable of collecting any ashes and/orhot pieces of ignited charcoal that may fall down from fire chamber 2.

With respect to the plurality of support legs 6, support legs 6 allowcharcoal igniter 100 to be longer and thus create better air flowthrough charcoal igniter 100. Also, support legs 6 allow the use of ashcollection pan 5 to be located below lower section 100L. It is to beunderstood that the number of support legs 6 can vary with the importantconsideration being that the support legs 6 must provide adequatestability for charcoal igniter 100.

With respect to igniter port 7, as will be discussed in greater detaillater, igniter port 7 is attached to accelerator section 1 byconventional techniques such as welding or using conventional fasteners.In this manner, igniter port 7 allows the user to insert a flame from aconventional lighting implement such as a torch or other similar devicein order to provide a flame to the charcoal 10 located at the other endof the igniter port 7 which is located within the upper end of theaccelerator section 1 and adjacent to lower grate 4, as shown in FIG. 2.FIG. 2 shows the bent pipe suspended directly under the lower grate andthe charcoal to be ignited in the bottom of the fire chamber area. It isto be understood that igniter port 7 could also be attached to firechamber 2 and enter through the sidewall of the fire chamber area (notshown in this configuration). The igniter port cap 7 a is used toprevent any contaminants or other unwanted debris from entering intoigniter port 7 when the charcoal igniter 100 is not in use by simplyplacing igniter port cap 7 a over the open end of igniter port 7 locatedadjacent to accelerator section 1. Also, igniter port cap 7 a is used toprevent any sparks or lit pieces of charcoal 10 from falling out ofigniter port 7 after the charcoal igniter 100 has been lit. It is to befurther understood that the length of igniter port 7 should be such thatthe flame from the conventional lighting implement is able to reach thecharcoal 10 located within fire chamber 2 but at the same time keep theuser from getting too close to the charcoal 10 that is being ignited.Igniter port 7 is of such a diameter to also allow airflow by convectionjust after ignition. It is to be understood that compressed air or airunder fan pressure can be forced into the igniter port for additionalspeed in igniting the charcoal.

With respect to upper section 100U, as shown in FIG. 3, upper section100U includes, in part, fire chamber area 2, conical top section 3,opening 3 a, lower grate 4, a plurality of handles 9, at least one airflow riser 11, air infusion pipe 12, grate support and attachment ring15 and optional cooking grate 23. It is to be understood that thevarious components of upper section 100U can be constructed of anysuitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel or stainless steel.It is to be further understood that fire chamber 2 should be constructedof any suitable, durable, high heat resistant material that will notmelt or burn such as steel, stainless steel or ceramic.

With respect to fire chamber area 2, as will be discussed in greaterdetail later, fire chamber 2 is used to hold the charcoal 10 (FIG. 1) sothat the charcoal 10 can be ignited. It is to be understood that thedimensions of fire chamber area 2 should be such that a sufficientamount of charcoal 10 can be retained within fire chamber 2 in order toprovide a suitable amount of ignited charcoal to the user.

With respect to conical top section 3, top section 3 is preferablyshaped in the form of a cone in order to assist in providing the venturieffect to charcoal igniter 100, as will be discussed in greater detaillater. It is to be understood that the dimensions of conical top section3 should be such that a sufficient venturi effect can be achieved incharcoal igniter 100. As discussed above, it is to be understood thatthe opening 3 a in conical top section 3 must be larger in diameter (orcross-section) than the diameter (or cross-section) of fire chamber 2 inorder to provide the proper venturi effect in charcoal igniter 100. Itis to be further understood that accelerator section 1, conical topsection 3 and fire chamber 2 are shown as being circular but othergeometric shapes for the cross-section can be used.

With respect to lower grate 4, lower grate 4 is used in conjunction withfire chamber 2 in order to retain the charcoal 10 (FIG. 1) within firechamber 2. Lower grate 4, includes, in part, a plurality of bars 4 athat are spaced apart from each other in order to allow air to flowthrough the lower grate 4 and into fire chamber 2. It is to beunderstood that the dimensions and the configurations of the pluralityof bars 4 a with respect to each other can be varied as long as air isable to properly flow through lower grate 4 and into fire chamber 2.

With respect to handles 9, preferably, handles 9 are conventionallyattached to the sides of fire chamber 2 by conventional fasteners. It isto be understood that the size and shape of handles 9 should be suchthat the user is able to easily dump the ignited charcoal from the uppersection 100U without the user's hands becoming too hot due to beingexposed to the ignited charcoal in the fire chamber 2.

With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the plurality of air flow risers 11and air infusion pipe 12 will now be discussed. Preferably, air flowrisers 11 are conventionally attached to lower orate 4 and grate supportand attachment ring 15 by conventional techniques such as welding. Aswill be discussed in greater detail later, air flow risers 11 allow airto flow past lower grate 4, out of openings 11 a and into an upperportion of the charcoal 10 that is located within fire chamber 2. It isto be understood that the dimensions of air flow risers 11 should besuch that an adequate amount of air will be able to be introduced intothe upper portion of the charcoal 10 located within fire chamber 2.

Regarding air infusion pipe 12, air infusion pipe 12 is conventionallyattached to openings 11 b in the plurality of air flow risers 11 byconventional techniques such as welding. As will be discussed in greaterdetail later, air infusion pipe 12 includes a plurality of holes 12 athat interact with the openings 11 b in air flow risers 11 to allow airto flow past lower grate 4 and into an upper portion of the charcoal 10that is located within fire chamber 2. In this manner, air is able to beintroduced into several different portions of the charcoal 10 to beignited instead of merely igniting the charcoal 10 from the bottom ofthe charcoal 10, as has been the practice of the prior art. Also, theuse of the air flow risers 11 and the air infusion pipe 12 allow moreair to be added into the charcoal bed zone above the bottom burning bedzone of the charcoal 10. This is because as the bottom bed of charcoal10 on the lower grate 4 burns first, the burning continues upwards tothe upper layer of the charcoal 10. A unique aspect of the presentinvention is that the air flow risers 11 and the air infusion pipe 12add airflow (more unused oxygen) directly to the hot gases rising offthe lower bed of the charcoal 10, thereby adding a fresh charge ofoxygen to the hot gases and fuel in the upper layers of charcoal 10 tohelp charcoal 10 ignite faster. It is to be understood that thedimensions of the air infusion pipe 12 and the number of openings 12 ain air infusion pipe 12 should be such that an adequate amount of airwill be able to be introduced into the upper portion of the charcoal 10located within fire chamber 2.

With reference now to FIGS. 1-4, the operation and use of charcoaligniter 100 will now be discussed. Initially, the user determines theamount of charcoal 10 to be placed within fire chamber 2 through conicaltop section 3. Conical top section 3 acts as a funnel in order to assistthe user in introducing the charcoal 10 into fire chamber 2. It is to beunderstood that while charcoal 10 is the preferred material to be usedwithin charcoal igniter 100, dried chunks of wood or other suitabletypes of materials can be used as long as they provide adequateheating/cooking properties similar to charcoal. Once the amount ofcharcoal has been determined, the user can place upper section 100U ontop of lower section 100U in order to add the charcoal to fire chamber2. It is to be further understood that the user may simply add thecharcoal to fire chamber 2 and then place upper section 100U onto lowersection 100L.

After the upper section 100U has been placed on lower section 100L, theuser simply removes ignition port cap 7 a (FIG. 1) and applies aconventional ignition device such as a torch to the open end of ignitionport 7 located adjacent to accelerator section 1. In this manner, theflame should travel up ignition port 7 and interact with the bottom ofthe portion of the charcoal 10 located in fire chamber 2 adjacent to theother end of ignition port 7 in order to ignite the lower portion of thecharcoal 10.

Once the lower portion of the charcoal 10 has been sufficiently ignited,one of the unique aspects of the present invention comes into play. Asthe bottom of the charcoal 10 becomes ignited, the ignited charcoal 10starts to draw air up through lower grate 4, air flow risers 11 and airinfusion pipe 12. The drawing of the air into air flow risers 11 and airinfusion pipe 12 allows air to be efficiently introduced into the middleand upper portions of the charcoal 10 located in fire chamber 2. It isto be understood that this concept is unique since this allows theentire amount of charcoal 10 to become completely ignited without havingto wait for the bottom portion of the charcoal 10 to become ignited andthen allowing the heat from the lower portion of the charcoal 10 toignite subsequent upper portions of the charcoal 10. Since substantiallythe entire amount of the charcoal 10 is being ignited at the same time,the heat required to ignite the subsequent upper portions of thecharcoal 10 is not being wasted.

In another unique aspect of the present invention, the differentdiameters of the accelerator section opening 1 a and the conical topsection opening 3 a in conjunction with the fire chamber 2 create aventuri effect for the charcoal igniter 100. Also, due to the fact thataccelerator opening 1 a is larger in diameter than a diameter of firechamber 2, air velocity at lower grating 4 is increased. Further, due tothe fact that charcoal 10 further restricts the open passages in firechamber 2, the air flow increases as the air goes through the charcoal10 in the fire chamber 2 on its way up and out of conical tip sectionopening 3 a. In this manner, the convective hot gases flowing upwardcreate more airflow up through accelerator opening 1 a. It is to beunderstood that due to the fact that the volume within acceleratorsection 1 is greater than the volume of fire chamber 2, a net increasein the velocity of the air that passes through fire chamber 2, lowergrate 4, air flow risers 11, and air infusion pipe 12 is created whenair begins to flow through charcoal igniter 100 once the charcoal 10 isignited. As heat is created in fire chamber 2, an updraft is createdwithin fire chamber 2, air flow risers 11, and air infusion pipe 12. Thedimensions of fire chamber 2 create a restriction in the air flow whichcause the air flow to accelerate even more through fire chamber 2, airflow risers 11 and air infusion pipe 12 which allows the air to bedistributed over substantially the entire amount of charcoal 10 locatedwithin fire chamber 2 thereby encouraging a quicker and more efficient,complete ignition of the charcoal 10.

In a still another unique aspect of the present invention, as shown inFIG. 3, charcoal igniter 100 can be equipped with an optional uppercooking grate 23 that is placed over conical top section opening 3 aafter the upper section 100U is placed on top of the lower section 100LOnce the charcoal 10 has been ignited, the user can simply place theupper cooking grate 23 over conical top section opening 3 a. In thismanner, the user can then place a cooking implement such as a cookingpot or cooking pan (not shown) and use the heat being emitted from theignited charcoal 10 in order to heat any food placed within the cookingimplement. It is to be understood that the user can also place the foodto be cooked on skewers or other similar types of cooking implements andsimply cook the food directly over the upper cooking grate 23. In thismanner, the upper cooking grate 23 will act as a retainer for assistingin the cooking of the food and a barrier to prevent unwanted sparks orother lit particles from the ignited charcoal from leaving the firechamber 2 and inadvertently contacting the user or the food being cookedby the user.

With respect to FIG. 5, there is illustrated another embodiment of theplurality of air flow risers 17. Preferably, air flow risers 17 areconventionally attached to lower grate 4 and grate support andattachment ring 15 by conventional techniques such as welding in asimilar manner that air flow risers 11 are attached to lower grate 4 andgrate support and attachment ring 15. As can be seen in FIG. 5, in thisembodiment, air flow risers 17 are extended so that the air that flowsup and through air flow risers 17 will interact with an upper and/ormid-portion of the charcoal 10 located within fire chamber 2. It is tobe understood that the air flow risers 17 are constructed so as to angletowards one another at a location towards the upper and/or mid-portionof the charcoal 10 located within fire chamber 2. In this manner, theangling of the air flow risers 17 allows air to be efficientlyintroduced into the upper and/or mid-portion of the charcoal 10 locatedwithin fire chamber 2. It is to be further understood that thedimensions of air flow risers 17 should be such that an adequate amountof air will be able to be introduced into the upper and/or mid-portionportion of the charcoal 10 located within fire chamber 2.

Regarding FIG. 6, there is illustrated another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter 600. The components of FIGS. 7 and 8 combine to achievethe embodiment shown in FIG. 6 Charcoal igniter 600, includes, in part,upper section 600U and lower section 600L. With respect to lower section600L, as shown in FIG. 6, lower section 600L includes, in part,accelerator section 1, opening 1 a, ash collection pan 5, a plurality ofsupport legs 6, upper leg support 13, lower leg support 14, and lowerexternal air flow pipes 19. It is to be understood that the variouscomponents of lower section 600L can be constructed of any suitable,durable material such as aluminum, steel or stainless steel. It is to befurther understood that the fire chamber 2, as shown in FIG. 6, isconstructed of the same materials as the fire chamber 2 illustrated inFIG. 1. It is to be even further understood that except for the use ofthe upper external airflow pipes 18 and lower external air flow pipes19, as discussed below, charcoal igniter 600 is constructed insubstantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 100 and operates insubstantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 100 including igniterport 7 and igniter port cap 7 a.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, lower external air flow pipes 19 areconventionally attached to openings in an upper section of acceleratorsection 1 by conventional techniques such as welding or through the useof conventional fasteners. It is to be understood that lower section600L is constructed in substantially the same manner as lower section100L of charcoal igniter 100 except for the addition of the lowerexternal air flow pipes 19.

With respect to upper section 600U, upper section 600U includes upperexternal air flow pipes 18, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. Upper externalair flow pipes 18 are conventionally attached to openings in amid-portion of the fire chamber 2 by conventional techniques such aswelding or through the use of conventional fasteners. It is to befurther understood that the diameters of upper external air flow pipes18 and lower external air flow pipes 19 should be substantially the samein order to provide proper air flow through upper external air flowpipes 18 and lower external air flow pipes 19. It is to be even furtherunderstood that in order to allow upper section 600U to be removed fromlower section 600L, upper external air flow pipes 18 and lower externalair flow pipes 19 should not be permanently connected together. Instead,the user merely aligns upper external air flow pipes 18 and lowerexternal air flow pipes 19 in order to provide proper air flow throughupper external air flow pipes 18 and lower external air flow pipes 19.

Regarding FIG. 9, there is illustrated a side view of the upper section600U of charcoal igniter 600. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper external airflow pipes 18 extend into a mid-portion to upper portion of the firechamber 2. In this manner, air is conducted through the lower externalair flow pipes 19 (FIG. 6) and up through upper external air flow pipes18 so that the air interacts with a mid-portion and/or an upper portionof the charcoal 10 in the fire chamber 2. It is to be further understoodthat the other unique aspects of the charcoal igniter 100 such as theventuri effect and the ability to use the charcoal igniter 100 as a foodcooker/heater can equally be applied to charcoal igniter 600.

Regarding FIG. 10, there is illustrated another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter 1000. Charcoal igniter 1000, includes, in part, uppersection 1000U and lower section 1000L. With respect to lower section1000L, as shown in FIG. 10, lower section 1000L includes, in part,accelerator section 1, opening 1 a, ash collection pan 5, a plurality ofsupport legs 6, upper leg support 13, and lower leg support 14. It is tobe understood that the various components of lower section 1000L can beconstructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel orstainless steel. It is to be further understood that the fire chamber 2,as shown in FIG. 10, is constructed of the same materials as the firechamber 2 illustrated in FIG. 1. It is to be even further understoodthat except for the use of the upper external airflow pipes 20 andclosable plate 21, as discussed below, charcoal igniter 1000 isconstructed in substantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 100 andoperates in substantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 100including igniter port 7 and igniter port cap 7 a.

With respect to upper section 1000U, upper section 1000U includes upperexternal air flow pipes 20 and a closable plate 21. Upper external airflow pipes 20 are conventionally attached to openings in a mid-portionof the fire chamber 2 by conventional techniques such as welding orthrough the use of conventional fasteners. As can be seen in FIG. 10,upper external air flow pipes 20 terminate outside of the fire chamber2. It is to be further understood that the diameters of upper externalair flow pipes 20 should provide proper air flow through upper externalair flow pipes 20.

It is to be further understood that closable plate 21 can be anysuitable device that can be used to cover or dose the end of upperexternal air flow pipes 20 in order to control (dampen) the amount ofair that is introduced into the charcoal 10 located with fire chamber 2through upper external air flow pipes 20. For example, when it isdesired to use charcoal igniter 1000 as a food cooker/heater, aspreviously discussed with respect to charcoal igniters 100 and 600, airflow in the upper external air flow pipes 20 is conventionally regulated(dampened) through the use of closable plate 21. In addition, the airflow in accelerator section 1 may be conventionally regulated (dampened)through the use of a closable plate (not shown).

Regarding FIG. 10, the upper external air flow pipes 20 extend into amid-portion to an upper portion of the fire chamber 2. In this manner,air is conducted through the upper external air flow pipes 20 so thatthe air interacts with a mid-portion and/or an upper portion of thecharcoal 10 in the fire chamber 2. In addition, due to the fact thatexternal airflow pipes 20 terminate in the atmosphere and extenddownwardly, external airflow pipes 20 create their own updraft and drawin coder, more dense air while not disrupting airflow in the acceleratorsection 1. It is to be further understood that the other unique aspectsof the charcoal igniters 100 and 600 such as the venturi effect and theability to use the charcoal igniters 100 and 600 as a food cooker/heatercan equally be applied to charcoal igniter 1000.

In particular, due to the fact that the volume within acceleratorsection 1 is greater than the volume of fire chamber 2, a net increasein the velocity of the air that passes through lower grate 4, firechamber 2 and upper external air flow pipes 20 is created when airbegins to flow through charcoal igniter 1000 once the charcoal 10 isignited. Also, due to the fact that accelerator opening 1 a is larger indiameter (or cross-section) than a diameter (or cross-section) of firechamber 2, air velocity at lower grating 4 is increased. Further, due tothe fact that charcoal 10 further restricts the open passages in firechamber 2, the air flow increases as the air goes through the charcoal10 in the fire chamber 2 on its way up and out of conical tip sectionopening 3 a. In this manner, the convective hot gases flowing upwardcreate more airflow up through accelerator opening 1 a. As heat iscreated in fire chamber 2, an updraft is created within fire chamber 2and upper external air flow pipes 20. The dimensions and location offire chamber 2 create a restriction in the air flow which cause the airflow to accelerate even more through fire chamber 2 and upper externalair flow pipes 20 which allows the air to be distributed oversubstantially the entire amount of charcoal 10 located within firechamber 2 thereby encouraging a quicker and more efficient completeignition of the charcoal 10.

Regarding FIG. 11, there is illustrated another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter 1100. Charcoal igniter 1100, includes, in part, uppersection 1100U and lower section 1100L. With respect to lower section1100L, as shown in FIG. 11, lower section 1100L includes, in part,accelerator section 1, opening 1 a, ash collection pan 5, a plurality ofsupport leas 6, upper leg support 13, and lower leg support 14. It is tobe understood that the various components of lower section 1100L can beconstructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel orstainless steel. It is to be further understood that the fire chamber 2,as shown in FIG. 11, is constructed of the same materials as the firechamber 2 illustrated in FIG. 1. It is to be even further understoodthat except for the use of the extended chimney stack 1100C, asdiscussed below, charcoal igniter 1100 is constructed in substantiallythe same manner as charcoal igniter 1000 and operates in substantiallythe same manner as charcoal igniter 1000 including igniter port 7 andigniter port cap 7 a.

With respect to upper section 1100U, upper section 1100U includes upperexternal air flow pipes 20. Upper external air flow pipes 20 areconventionally attached to openings in a mid-portion of the fire chamber2 by conventional techniques such as welding or through the use ofconventional fasteners. As can be seen in FIG. 11, upper external airflow pipes 20 terminate outside of the fire chamber 2. It is to befurther understood that the diameters of upper external air flow pipes20 should provide proper air flow through upper external air flow pipes20.

Located on top of conical top section 3 is extended chimney stack 1100C.As best shown in FIG. 12, extended chimney stack 1100C includes handles9 a, chimney stack 24, chimney stack openings 24 a and 24 b, and tab 25.The purpose of extended chimney stack 1100C is to enhance the air flowdraft through the utilization of a longer chimney stack 24. It is to beunderstood that the components of extended chimney stack 1100C can beconstructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel orstainless steel.

Regarding FIG. 11, extended chimney stack 1100C includes at least onestrut 22 that is conventionally attached at one end to the upper legsupport 13 and the lower leg support by conventional fasteners. Theother end of strut 22 is conventionally removably attached to tab 25 byconventional removable fasteners. The purpose of strut 22 is to secureextended chimney stack 1100C to charcoal igniter 1100 so that extendedchimney stack 1100C does not easily fall off of charcoal igniter 1100.Also, it is to be understood that extended chimney stack 1100C must beable to be easily removed from strut 22 at tab 25. It is to beunderstood that once the charcoal 10 has become ignited, extendedchimney stack 1100C should be removed.

As discussed above with respect to charcoal igniter 1100, the upperexternal air flow pipes 20 extend into a mid-portion to an upper portionof the fire chamber 2. In this manner, air is conducted through theupper external air flow pipes 20 so that the air interacts with amid-portion and/or an upper portion of the charcoal 10 in the firechamber 2. In addition, due to the fact that external airflow pipes 20terminate in the atmosphere and extend downwardly, external airflowpipes 20 create their own updraft and draw in cooler, more dense airwhile not disrupting airflow in the accelerator section 1. It is to befurther understood that the other unique aspects of the charcoaligniters 100, 600 and 1000 such as the venturi effect and the ability touse the charcoal igniters 100, 600 and 1000 as a food cooker/heater canequally be applied to charcoal igniter 1100.

In particular, due to the fact that the volume within acceleratorsection 1 is greater than the volume of fire chamber 2, a net increasein the velocity of the air that passes through lower grate 4, firechamber 2 and upper external air flow pipes 20 is created when airbegins to flow through charcoal igniter 1100 once the charcoal 10 isignited. Also, due to the fact that accelerator opening 1 a is larger indiameter (or cross-section) than a diameter (or cross-section) of firechamber 2, air velocity at lower grating 4 is increased. Further, due tothe fact that charcoal 10 further restricts the open passages in firechamber 2, the air flow increases as the air goes through the charcoal10 in the fire chamber 2 on its way up and out of conical tip sectionopening 3 a. In this manner, the convective hot gases flowing upwardcreate more airflow up through accelerator opening 1 a. As heat iscreated in fire chamber 2, an updraft is created within fire chamber 2and upper external air flow pipes 20. The dimensions and location offire chamber 2 create a restriction in the air flow which cause the airflow to accelerate even more through fire chamber 2 and upper externalair flow pipes 20 which allows the air to be distributed oversubstantially the entire amount of charcoal 10 located within firechamber 2 thereby encouraging a quicker and more efficient completeignition of the charcoal 10.

Referring now to FIG. 13A, there is illustrated a charcoal chimney styleigniter 1300 with the addition of an upper airflow tube. The upperairflow tube 1320 was shown in other embodiments in the earlierapplication such as igniter 600, and igniter 1000. The upper airflowpipe 1320 is shown again on a conventional charcoal chimney styleigniter. The upper airflow pipe 1320 is hollow and conducts airflow fromcool atmospheric air into the fire chamber 1402. The draft created inthe fire chamber 1402 draws airflow in. As a byproduct, the coolingeffect of the flowing air helps to keep the upper airflow pipe 1320cooler

It has been determined that the upper airflow pipe's secondary featureis as a handle that conducts airflow, called the upper airflow pipehandle 1340 (FIG. 13B). The upper airflow pipe 1320 is attached to thereinforcing bracket 1325 (together referred to as the upper airflow pipehandle 1340). The reinforcing bracket 1325 may be connected to the firechamber 1402 with conventional fasteners or welding. The upper airflowpipe 1320 and the reinforcing bracket 1325 may be constructed of anydurable metal such as steel or stainless steel. The handgrip region ofupper airflow pipe 1320 may also have a heat resistant insulationcoating (not shown) applied to further protect the user's hand fromheat.

Referring now to FIG. 14, there is illustrated a charcoal igniter 1400.It is to be understood that charcoal igniter 1400 can be used in placeof upper section 100U, as shown in FIG. 3. In this manner, charcoaligniter 1400 can be used with the lower section 100L of FIG. 3 whichincludes a venturi and operates in substantially the same manner ascharcoal igniter 100, and as igniter 1000 in FIG. 10. It is to beunderstood that the charcoal igniter 1400 can be used with a venturi inorder to more efficiently and quickly ignite the charcoal 1410.

With respect to charcoal igniter 1400, as shown in FIG. 14, charcoaligniter 1400 includes, in part, fire chamber 1402, at least one handle1409, conventional handle fasteners 1412, a plurality of holes 1414 and1416, and releasable removable grate 1420. It is to be understood thatthe various components of charcoal igniter 1400 can be constructed ofany suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel or stainlesssteel. It is to be understood that fire chamber 1402 also may containfeatures of igniter 100 such as the conical top section 3, and theoptional cooking grate 23. In addition, it is to be understood thatcharcoal igniter 1400 may contain features of igniter 1000 including theupper external air flow pipes 20, which can serve a secondary functionas handles. It is to be even further understood that charcoal igniter1400 may contain features of igniter 1100, thereby allowing the use of atall stack as 1100C.

With respect to fire chamber 1402, as will be discussed in greaterdetail later, fire chamber 1402 is used to hold the charcoal 1410 (FIG.14) so that the charcoal 1410 can be ignited. It is to be understoodthat the dimensions of fire chamber 1402 should be such that asufficient amount of charcoal 1410 can be retained within fire chamber1402 in order to provide a suitable amount of ignited charcoal 1410 tothe user.

With respect to handle 1409, preferably, handle 1409 is conventionallyattached to the side of fire chamber 1402 by conventional fasteners1412. It is to be understood that the size and shape of handle 1409should be such that the user is able to easily deposit (or dump) theignited charcoal 1410 from charcoal igniter 1400 by grasping handle 1409and removing/releasing releasable/removable grate 1420 from charcoaligniter 1400 (in the direction of arrow X) without the user's handsbecoming too hot due to being exposed to the ignited charcoal 1410 inthe fire chamber 1402.

With respect to releasable/removable grate 1420, releasable/removablegrate 1420 is used in conjunction with fire chamber 1402 in order toretain the charcoal 1410 (FIG. 14) within fire chamber 1402. As will bediscussed in greater detail below, releasable/removable grate 1420 canbe pulled out of holes 1414 and 1416 (in the direction of arrow X) sothat the ignited charcoal 1410 can be simply deposited (or dumped) ontoa food cooking implement such as a grill (not shown) or the like withouthaving to hold handle 1409, turn over charcoal igniter 1400 and dump theignited charcoal 1410 onto the grill, as described above with respect tothe prior chimney-style charcoal igniters.

It is to be understood that FIG. 14 minus the bottom release gratesystem (comprised of a removable grate and slots for the grate to beinserted and to be removed) is essentially showing the current art. Thebottom release grate system could be applied to the basic charcoalchimney art and be viewed as an improvement in itself. However, if thebottom release grate system is coupled with the other aspects of thepresent invention, the whole art can be advanced significantly byworking along with the science and user methods. A significant advantageof the bottom release grate system is that it affords the ability toextend the fire chamber stack taller to aid in stronger convective draftand more rapid ignition. The bottom release grate works along with theabove stated scientific principle and the user's method to allow newthings to happen such as being able to safely discharge burning charcoalsafely from the bottom of a device with a tall stack and not having topick up the device. The bottom release grate also opens the way for anew method of using a pivoting arm to aid in the handling of the firechamber position and grate discharge process overtop a cookingimplement. Finally, it is to be understood that this embodiment can beaffixed to a pivoting arm 1760, as shown in FIG. 20, by a person skilledin the art.

Referring now to FIG. 15, there is illustrated another charcoal igniter1500. It is to be understood that charcoal igniter 1500 can be used inplace of upper section 100U, as shown in FIG. 3. In this manner,charcoal igniter 1500 can be used with the lower section 100L of FIG. 3which includes a venturi and operates in substantially the same manneras charcoal igniter 100. It is to be understood that the charcoaligniter 1500 can be used with a venturi in order to more efficiently andquickly ignite the charcoal 1510.

With respect to charcoal igniter 1500, as shown in FIG. 15, charcoaligniter 1500 includes, in part, fire chamber 1502, at least one handle1509, conventional handle fasteners 1512, a plurality of holes 1514 and1516, and releasable/removable grate system 1520. It is to be understoodthat the various components of charcoal igniter 1500 can be constructedof any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel or stainlesssteel.

With respect to fire chamber 1502, as will be discussed in greaterdetail later, fire chamber 1502 is used to hold the charcoal 1510 (FIG.15) so that the charcoal 1510 can be ignited. It is to be understoodthat the dimensions of fire chamber 1502 should be such that asufficient amount of charcoal 1510 can be retained within fire chamber1502 in order to provide a suitable amount of ignited charcoal 1510 tothe user.

With respect to handle 1509, preferably, handle 1509 is conventionallyattached to the side of fire chamber 1502 by conventional fasteners1512. It is to be understood that the size and shape of handle 1509should be such that the user is able to easily deposit (or dump) theignited charcoal 1510 from charcoal igniter 1500 by grasping handle 1509and removing/releasing releasable/removable grate system 1520 fromcharcoal igniter 1500 (in the direction of arrows X and Z) without theuser's hands becoming too hot due to being exposed to the ignitedcharcoal 1510 in the fire chamber 1502.

With respect to releasable/removable grate system 1520,releasable/removable grate system 1520 is used in conjunction with firechamber 1502 in order to retain the charcoal 1510 (FIG. 15) within firechamber 1502. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the supportrods 1522 of releasable/removable grate system 1520 can be pulled out ofholes 1514 and 1516 (in the direction of arrow X) so that the grate 1524falls out of or away from the bottom of fire chamber 1502 (in thedirection of arrow Z), such that ignited charcoal 1510 can be simplydeposited (or dumped) onto a food cooking implement such as a grill (notshown) or the like without having to hold handle 1509, turn overcharcoal igniter 1500 and dump the ignited charcoal 1510 onto the grill,as described above with respect to the prior, known chimney-stylecharcoal igniters.

With respect to grate 1524, grate 1524 includes, in part, a plurality ofbars 1526 that are spaced apart from each other in order to allow air toflow through the grate 1524 and into fire chamber 1502. It is to beunderstood that the dimensions and the configurations of the pluralityof bars 1526 with respect to each other can be varied as long as air isable to properly flow through grate 1524 and into fire chamber 1502.Also, bars 1526 are conventionally retained in place by bar retainerring 1528. It is to be further understood that grate 1524 should beconstructed of any suitable, durable, high heat resistant material thatwill not melt or burn such as steel, stainless steel or ceramic.

During the operation of charcoal igniter 1500, after the charcoal 1510has been properly ignited, the user places the charcoal igniter 1500onto the charcoal grate of the implement in which the ignited charcoalis to be used such as a charcoal grill (not shown). The user then simplyhas to remove the support rods 1522 from the holes 1514 and 1516 incharcoal igniter 1500 (in the direction of arrow X) so that grate 1524falls in the direction of arrow Z which allows the ignited charcoal 1510to be deposited onto the charcoal grate of the charcoal grill. The userthen safely collects the grate 1524 from the ignited charcoal 1510 andsets the grate 1524 in a safe location so that the grate 1524 canproperly cool down. Once the grate 1524 has completely cooled down, theuser can then place the grate 1524 back into the bottom of charcoaligniter 1500 and locate the support rods 1522 in holes 1514 and 1516 inorder to properly retain grate 1524 within charcoal igniter 1500. It isto be understood that this embodiment can be affixed to a pivoting arm1760, as shown in FIG. 20, by a person skilled in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 16, there is illustrated still another charcoaligniter 1600. It is to be understood that charcoal igniter 1600 can beused in place of upper section 100U, as shown in FIG. 3. In this manner,charcoal igniter 1600 can be used with the lower section 100L of FIG. 3which includes a venturi and operates in substantially the same manneras charcoal igniter 100. It is to be understood that the charcoaligniter 1600 can be used with a venturi in order to more efficiently andquickly ignite the charcoal 1610.

With respect to charcoal igniter 1600, as shown in FIG. 16, charcoaligniter 1600 includes, in part, fire chamber 1602, at least one handle1609, conventional handle fasteners 1612, a plurality of holes 1614 and1616, and releasable/removable grate system 1620. It is to be understoodthat the various components of charcoal igniter 1600 can be constructedof any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel or stainlesssteel.

With respect to fire chamber 1602, as will be discussed in greaterdetail later, fire chamber 1602 is used to hold the charcoal 1610 (FIG.16) so that the charcoal 1610 can be ignited. It is to be understoodthat the dimensions of fire chamber 1602 should be such that asufficient amount of charcoal 1610 can be retained within fire chamber1612 in order to provide a suitable amount of ignited charcoal 1610 tothe user. It is to be understood that the cross-sectional shape of thefire chamber 1602 is non-circular to aid in the grate 1624 swingingdownward upon release on the end that is not hinged to the fire chamber1602.

With respect to handle 1609, preferably, handle 1609 is conventionallyattached to the side of fire chamber 1602 by conventional fasteners1612. It is to be understood that the size and shape of handle 1609should be such that the user is able to easily deposit (or dump) theignited charcoal 1610 from charcoal igniter 1600 by grasping the handle1609 and removing/releasing releasable/removable grate system 1620 fromcharcoal igniter 1600 (in the direction of arrows X and Y) without theuser's hands becoming too hot due to being exposed to the ignitedcharcoal 1610 in the fire chamber 1602.

With respect to releasable/removable grate system 1620,releasable/removable grate system 1620 is used in conjunction with firechamber 1602 in order to retain the charcoal 1610 (FIG. 16) within firechamber 1602. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the supportrod 1622 of releasable/removable grate system 1620 can be pulled out ofholes 1614 and 1616 (in the direction of arrow X) so that the grate 1624falls out of or away from the bottom of fire chamber 1602 (in thedirection of arrow Y), such that ignited charcoal 1610 can be simplydeposited (or dumped) onto a food cooking implement such as a grill (notshown) or the like without having to hold handle 1609, turn overcharcoal igniter 1600 and dump the ignited charcoal 1610 onto the grill,as described above with respect to the prior, known chimney-stylecharcoal igniters.

With respect to grate 1624, grate 1624 includes, in part, a plurality ofbars 1626 that are spaced apart from each other in order to allow air toflow through the grate 1624 and into fire chamber 1602. It is to beunderstood that the dimensions and the configurations of the pluralityof bars 1626 with respect to each other can be varied as long as air isable to properly flow through grate 1624 and into fire chamber 1602.Also, bars 1626 are conventionally retained in place by retainer bars1628. It is to be further understood that grate 1624 should beconstructed of any suitable, durable, high heat resistant material thatwill not melt or burn such as steel, stainless steel or ceramic.

The other end of grate 1624 includes grate extensions 1632 which arelocated in openings 1630 of fire chamber 1602. As will be discussed ingreater detail later, grate extensions 1632 cooperate with openings 1630to allow grate 1624 to pivot downwardly in the direction of arrows Y toallow the ignited charcoal 1610 to be deposited onto a food cookingimplement such as a grill (not shown) or the like.

During the operation of charcoal igniter 1600, after the charcoal hasbeen properly ignited, the user places the charcoal igniter 1600 ontothe charcoal grate of the implement in which the ignited charcoal is tobe used such as a charcoal grill (not shown). The user then simply hasto remove the support rod 1622 from the holes 1614 and 1616 in charcoaligniter 1600 (in the direction of arrow X) so that grate 1624 pivotsaway from the bottom of charcoal igniter 1600 in the direction of arrowV which allows the ignited charcoal 1610 to be deposited onto thecharcoal grate of the charcoal grill. The user then sets the hotcharcoal igniter 1600 in a safe location so that the charcoal igniter1600 can properly cool down. Once the charcoal igniter 1600 hascompletely cooled down, the user can then pivot the grate 1624 back intothe bottom of charcoal igniter 1600 and locate the support rod 1622 inholes 1614 and 1616 in order to properly retain grate 1624 withincharcoal igniter 1600. It is to be understood that this embodiment canbe affixed to a pivoting arm 1760, as shown in FIG. 20, by a personskilled in the art.

Regarding FIG. 17, there is illustrated another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter 1700. Referring now more particularly to FIG. 17,charcoal igniter 1700, includes, in part, upper section 1700U and lowersection 1700L. With respect to lower section 1700L, as shown in FIG. 17,lower section 100L includes, in part, accelerator section 1701. It is tobe understood that the various components of lower section 1700L can beconstructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel orstainless steel.

With respect to accelerator section 1701, accelerator section 1701 isattached to fire chamber 1702 by brackets 1730 and conventionalfasteners 1732. As shown in FIG. 17, accelerator section 1701 includesan opening 1701 a. It is to be understood that this opening 1701 a mustbe bigger in diameter (or cross-section) than the diameter (orcross-section) of the fire chamber 1702 in order to provide the properventuri effect in charcoal igniter 1700. It is to be further understoodthat the fire chamber 1702, as shown in FIG. 17, is constructed of thesame materials as the fire chamber 2 illustrated in FIG. 1. It is to beeven further understood that except for the use of the upper externalairflow pipes 1718, and the bottom release grate comprised of opening1740, and grate 1420, charcoal igniter 1700 is constructed insubstantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 100, 600, and 1000 andoperates in substantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 100, 600and 1000. Igniter 1700 is not pictured with supporting legs (FIGS. 23Aand 24A), instead it has an alternative supporting mechanism attached toleg 1736, thus without the legs, the conical accelerator section 1701 isattached differently than igniter 100, 600, or 1000.

With respect to upper section 1700U, upper section 1700U includes upperexternal air flow pipes 1718. Upper external air flow pipes 1718 areconventionally attached to openings in a mid-portion of the fire chamber1702 by conventional techniques such as welding or through the use ofconventional fasteners. It is to be further understood that thediameters of upper external air flow pipes 1718 should be of the propersize in order to provide proper air flow through upper external air flowpipes 1718.

Upper section 1700U also includes an opening 1740 between fire chamber1702 and accelerator section 1701. Opening 1740 is formed in charcoaligniter 1700 through the use of brackets 1730 and conventional fasteners1732. As can be seen in FIG. 17, a plurality of brackets 1730 aresecured at equally spaced locations around the periphery of theaccelerator section 1701 and fire chamber 1702 by conventional fasteners1732. An opening 1740 is consequently formed between fire chamber 1702and accelerator section 1701 that allows the removable releasable grate1420 to be located within charcoal igniter 1700, as will be described ingreater detail later. It is to be further understood that brackets 1730should be constructed of any suitable, durable, high heat resistantmaterial that will not melt or burn such as steel or stainless steel.

Located on one of the brackets 1730 is a support bracket 1734 and asupport leg 1736. As will be discussed in greater detail later, supportbracket 1734 and support leg 1736 will be used to support charcoaligniter 1700. As shown in FIG. 17, support bracket 1734 is attached tobracket 1730 by conventional fasteners 1738. Also, support leg 1736 isattached to support bracket 1734 by conventional fasteners 1740. It isto be further understood that bracket 1734 and support leg 1736 shouldbe constructed of any suitable, durable, high heat resistant materialthat will not melt or burn such as steel or stainless steel.

With respect to FIG. 18, there is illustrated removable/releasable grate1420. Removable/releasable grate 1420, includes, in part, a plurality ofbars 1424 that are spaced apart from each other in order to allow air toflow through the removable releasable grate 1420 and into fire chamber1702 (FIG. 17 and fire chamber 1402 in FIG. 14). It is to be understoodthat the dimensions and the configurations of the plurality of bars 1424with respect to each other can be varied as long as air is able toproperly flow through removable/releasable grate 1420 and into firechamber 1702 (FIG. 17 and fire chamber 1402 in FIG. 14). Bars 1424 areconventionally attached to a retainer bar 1426 and retainer bar 1426 isconventionally attached to grate handle 1422. Bars 1424 are orientedparallel with the direction of motion of the grate in the slot so theydo not catch on the charcoal chunks when pulled out. The bars 1424 actas fingers that are retracted to cause release of the charcoal. It is tobe further understood that removable releasable grate 1420 should beconstructed of any suitable, durable, high heat resistant material thatwill not melt or burn such as steel, ceramic or stainless steel.

With respect to FIG. 19, the placement of removable/releasable grate1420 into charcoal igniter 1700 is shown. During the operation ofcharcoal igniter 1700, after the charcoal 1710 has been properlyignited, the user places the charcoal igniter 1700 over the charcoalgrate of the implement in which the ignited charcoal is to be used suchas a charcoal grill (not shown). The user then simply has to remove theremovable/releasable grate 1420 from the opening 1740 in charcoaligniter 1700 (in the direction of arrow X) which allows the ignitedcharcoal 1710 to be deposited onto the charcoal grate of the charcoalgrill. The user can then place the removable/releasable grate 1420 backinto the opening 1740 (in the direction of arrow Y) and move thecharcoal igniter 1700 away from the charcoal grill, as will be describedin detail later.

Regarding FIG. 20, there is illustrated an embodiment for supportingcharcoal igniter 1700 over a cooking implement 1750 such as a charcoalgrill. In this embodiment, the charcoal 1710 can be ignited in charcoaligniter 1700, as discussed above, and then the charcoal 1710 can besimply deposited (or dumped) into cooking implement 1750 without havingto turn over charcoal igniter 1700 and dump the ignited charcoal 1710onto the grill, as described above with respect to the prior, knownchimney-style charcoal igniters.

As shown in FIG. 20, charcoal igniter 1700 includes upper section 1700Uand lower section 1700L. As discussed earlier, upper section 17000includes support bracket 1734 and support leg 1736 that are used tosupport charcoal igniter 1700 over cooking implement 1750.

As further shown in FIG. 20, cooking implement 1750 includes, in part,charcoal holder 1752, support legs 1754, and support retainer 1756. Itis to be understood that charcoal holder 1752 is used to hold theignited charcoal 1710 that has been properly ignited by charcoal igniter1700. Support legs 1754 and support retainer 1756 are attached tocharcoal holder 1752 by conventional techniques such as welding,soldering or mechanical fasteners. It is to be understood that supportretainer 1756 is used to provide support for pivoting support 1760 aspivoting support 1760 is retained in support leg 1754 and as extension1766 rotates within support retainer 1756 as will be discussed ingreater detail later. It is to be further understood that charcoalholder 1752, support legs 1754, and support retainer 1756 should beconstructed of any suitable, durable, high heat resistant material thatwill not melt or burn such as steel or stainless steel.

Attached to extension 1766 and support leg 1736 is pivoting support1760. Pivoting support 1760 includes, in part, curved extensions 1762and 1764 connected by a horizontal section 1763 and extension 1766. Itis to be understood that curved extensions 1762, 1764, horizontalsection 1763 and upright extension 1766 should be constructed of anysuitable, durable, high heat resistant material that will not melt orburn such as steel or stainless steel. It is also to be understood thatcurved extensions 1762 and 1764, horizontal section 1763, and extension1766 are connected together by conventional techniques such as weldingor soldering in order to form pivoting support 1760. Support 1736 pivotsinside of curved extension 1762. Located along a length of curvedextension 1762 are a plurality of hooks 1768 which can be used toconventionally hold various cooking tools to be used in conjunction withcooking food on cooking implement 1750. It is to be understood thatextended chimney stack 1800C of FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 may be used asoptional equipment on igniter 1700 using attaching strut 1822. Thecharcoal 1710 would be placed inside igniter 1700, then the extendedchimney stack 1800C would be placed on the strut 1822.

With respect to FIG. 21, charcoal igniter 1700 is shown after thecharcoal 1710 has been deposited onto the charcoal holder 1752 ofcooking implement 1750. In particular, as discussed above, during theoperation of charcoal igniter 1700, the user places the charcoal igniter1700 over the charcoal grate of the cooking implement 1750 in which theignited charcoal 1710 is to be used such as a charcoal grill. Once thecharcoal 1710 has been properly ignited, the user simply has to removethe removable releasable grate system 1420 from the opening 1740 incharcoal igniter 1700 (in the direction of arrow X as shown in FIG. 19)which allows the ignited charcoal 1710 to be deposited onto the charcoalholder 1752. The user can then place the removable/releasable gratesystem 1420 back into the opening 1740 (in the direction of arrow YinFIG. 19) and move the charcoal igniter 1700 away from the charcoalgrill, as shown in FIG. 21 which causes extension 1766 to rotate insupport leg 1754. In this manner, the user should not come into directcontact with charcoal igniter 1700 while the user is using cookingimplement 1750. After the charcoal igniter 1700 has been moved away fromcooking implement 1750, the user then simply places a conventionalcooking grate 1758 on the cooking implement 1750 so that the cookinggrate 1758 is located over the ignited charcoal 1710. It should be notedthat in FIG. 21, igniter 1700 is showing charcoal inside 1710. Igniter1700 is shown as being re-loaded with a second batch of charcoal 1710such that this second batch of charcoal 1710 can be ignited in case theuser of the cooking implement 1750 needs a recharge of hot readycharcoal 1710. This is often the case where a charcoal cooking implementneeds more ready charcoal to continue cooking, especially when cookingsomething that takes several hours such as slow roasting meat. Theprocess for the user is to simply move the cooking grate 1758 and pivotthe igniter 1700 into place and dump a second batch of charcoal 1710into the cooking implement 1750.

With respect to FIG. 22, there is illustrated another embodiment forsupporting charcoal igniter 1700 over a cooking implement 1750 such as acharcoal grill. In this embodiment, the charcoal 1710 can be ignited incharcoal igniter 1700, as discussed above and then the charcoal can besimply deposited (or dumped) into cooking implement 1700 without havingto turn over charcoal igniter 1700 and dump the ignited charcoal 1710onto the grill, as described above with respect to the prior, knownchimney-style charcoal igniters.

As shown in FIG. 22, charcoal igniter 1700 includes upper section 1700Uand lower section 1700L. As discussed earlier, upper section 1700Uincludes support bracket 1734 and support leg 1736 that are used tosupport charcoal igniter 1700 over cooking implement 1750 a.

As further shown in FIG. 22, cooking implement 1750 a is substantiallythe same cooking implement 1750 as discussed above with respect to FIGS.20 and 21 except that cooking implement 1750 a does not include supportretainer 1756 (FIGS. 20 and 21).

In order to support charcoal igniter 1700, support system 1780 isutilized. As shown in FIG. 22, support system 1780 includes, in part,support base 1782, support extension 1784 and extension lock 1786. It isalso to be understood that support base 1782 and support extension 1784are connected together by conventional techniques such as welding,soldering, or threading. Furthermore, it is to be understood thatsupport base 1782, support extension 1784 and extension lock 1786 shouldbe constructed of any suitable, durable, high heat resistant materialthat will not melt or burn such as steel or stainless steel. Base 1782could be constructed of pre-cast concrete, with the importantconsideration being a proper size/weight of base 1782 being capable ofsupporting igniter 1700, igniter 1800 (FIG. 23A with truncated legs) origniter 1900 (FIG. 24A with truncated legs), or igniter 2000 (FIG. 25A).

During the operation of support system 1780, extension 1766 is placedwithin support extension 1784 such that the desired height of charcoaligniter 1700 above cooking implement 1750 is achieved. Once the desiredheight has been achieved, the user simply locks the extension 1766 inplace with respect to support extension 1784 by conventionally operatingextension lock 1786. It is also to be understood that the location ofthe charcoal igniter 1700 with respect to the cooking implement 1750 canbe changed by adjusting the distance between support system 1780 andcooking implement 1750. After the extension 1766 has been locked inplace in support extension 1784, the user can then proceed with ignitingthe charcoal 1710, depositing the properly ignited charcoal 1710 intocooking implement 1750 and pivoting charcoal igniter 1700, as discussedabove.

Regarding FIG. 23A, there is illustrated another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter 1800. Charcoal igniter 1800, includes, in part, uppersection 1800U, lower section 1800L, and extended chimney stack 1800C.With respect to lower section 1800L, as shown in FIG. 23A, lower section1800L includes, in part, accelerator section 1801, opening 1801 a, ashcollection pan 1805, a plurality of support legs 1806, and lower legsupport 1814. It is to be understood that the various components oflower section 1800L can be constructed of any suitable, durable materialsuch as aluminum, steel or stainless steel. It is to be furtherunderstood that the fire chamber 1802, as shown in FIG. 23A, isconstructed of the same materials as the fire chamber 2 illustrated inFIG. 1. It is to be even further understood that except for the use ofthe extended chimney stack 1800C, and releasable/removable grate 1420 asdiscussed below, charcoal igniter 1800 is constructed in substantiallythe same manner as charcoal igniter 1000 and operates in substantiallythe same manner as charcoal igniter 1000.

Located on top of conical top section 1803 is extended chimney stack1800C. Extended chimney stack 1800C includes handles 1809 a, chimneystack 1824, chimney stack openings 1824 a and 1824 b, and tab 1825. Thepurpose of extended chimney stack 1800C is to enhance the air flow draftthrough the utilization of a longer chimney stack 1824. It is to beunderstood that the components of extended chimney stack 1800C can beconstructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel orstainless steel.

Regarding FIG. 23A extended chimney stack 1800C includes at least onestrut 1822 that is conventionally attached at one end to the upper legsupport 1813 and the lower leg support 1814 by conventional fasteners.The other end of strut 1822 is conventionally removably attached to tab1825. Tab 1825 is attached to chimney stack 1824 by conventionalremovable fasteners. The purpose of strut 1822 is to secure extendedchimney stack 1800C to charcoal igniter 1800 so that extended chimneystack 1800C does not easily fall off of charcoal igniter 1800. Also, itis to be understood that extended chimney stack 1800C must be able to beeasily removed from strut 1822 at tab 1825. It is to be understood thatthis embodiment allows three options for discharging the burningcharcoal: first, the releasable/removable grate 1420 may be actuated todischarge the charcoal out of the bottom of the fire chamber 1802 andthe charcoal 1810 falls out of the opening of the accelerator section1801 and is deposited in the charcoal and ash collection pan 1805.Secondly, the user may remove the chimney stack 1800C, then remove thefire chamber 1802 with releasable/removable grate 1420 still in placeand retained on the bottom of the fire chamber 1802, transport the firechamber 1802 over to a cooking implement 1750 (FIG. 22, for example) andthen actuate the releasable/removable grate 1420, which releasescharcoal out of the bottom of the fire chamber 1802. Third, the user mayremove and transport the fire chamber 1802 over to a cooking implement1750 (in FIG. 22) and tip fire chamber 1802 over and dump the charcoal1810 out of the opening of conical tip section opening 1803 a. The firsttwo options for discharging are preferable with the new technology ofthe releasable/removable crate 1420. When not in use, igniter 1800allows the fire chamber 1802 and chimney stack 1800C to be removed fromthe legs 1806 for more compact storage.

It is to be further understood that the other unique aspects of thecharcoal igniters 100, 600 and 1000 such as the venturi effect and theability to use the charcoal igniters 100, 600 and 1000 as a foodcooker/heater can equally be applied to charcoal igniter 1800. If theuser were planning to cook directly over igniter 1800, the extendedchimney stack 1800C would be removed by the user, next the user wouldplace the cooking grate 23 (as shown in FIG. 1) over igniter 1800conical top section opening 1800 a. It is to be understood that thereleasable/removable grate 1420 would remain in place to retain thecharcoal 1810 in the fire chamber 1802 for cooking purposes.

In particular, due to the fact that the volume within acceleratorsection 1801 is greater than the volume of fire chamber 1802, a netincrease in the velocity of the air that passes throughreleasable/removable grate system 1420 and fire chamber 1802 is createdwhen air begins to flow through charcoal igniter 1800 once the charcoal1810 is ignited. Also, due to the fact that accelerator opening 1801 ais larger in diameter (or cross-section) than a diameter (orcross-section) of fire chamber 1802, air velocity atreleasable/removable grate system 1420 is increased. Further, due to thefact that charcoal 1810 further restricts the open passages in firechamber 1802, the air flow increases as the air goes through thecharcoal 1810 in the fire chamber 1802 on its way up and out of conicaltip section opening 1803 a. In this manner, the convective hot gasesflowing upward create more airflow up through accelerator opening 1801a. As heat is created in fire chamber 1802, an updraft is created withinfire chamber 1802. The dimensions and location of fire chamber 1802create a restriction in the air flow which causes the air flow toaccelerate even more through fire chamber 1802, which allows the air tobe distributed over substantially the entire amount of charcoal 1810located within fire chamber 1802 thereby encouraging a quicker and moreefficient complete ignition of the charcoal 1810. It is to be understoodthat fire chamber 1802 can be constructed to include upper air flowpipes 20, as igniter 1000 in FIG. 10. Although handles 1809 are shown,the upper airflow pipes 20, as in igniter 1000 in FIG. 10, can alsoserve as handles.

Another unique aspect of the present invention is the use of firechamber support brackets 1850, as shown in FIG. 23B. Fire chambersupport brackets 1850 include, in part, bracket base 1852, fastener hole1854 and bracket ledge 1856. It is to be understood that the componentsof fire chamber support brackets 1850 can be constructed of anysuitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel or stainless steel.These fire chamber support brackets 1850 are to be attached to lower legsupport 1814 as a support stop for the fire chamber 1802. If gratesupport ring 1816 is not used, the brackets 1850 would be used. Firechamber support brackets 1850 can be used optionally with the gratesupport ring 1816. When used, the fire chamber support brackets 1850provide support on ledge 1856. It is to be understood that the gratesupport ring 1816 and the fire chamber brackets 1830 may be eliminatedand have the fire chamber 1802 sit on support brackets 1850, thoughdoing so will hinder the ability to remove the fire chamber 1802 andreleasable removable grate as one system from the support legs totransport it with a load of charcoal 1810 inside the fire chamber 1802.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 23A and 23C, fire chamber support isprovided with brackets 1830 to create opening 1740. The grate supportring 1816 rests on either the lower leg support 1814, or upon brackets1850 depending upon the dimensions, in either case the grate supportring 1816, and brackets 1830 support the fire chamber 1802 above thereleasable/removable grate 1420. The fire chamber 1802 has bracket 1830attached to the bottom of the fire chamber 1802. The top of bracket 1830attaches to the bottom of fire chamber 1802 and the bottom of bracket1830 is attached to the grate support ring 1816, which creates opening1740 for the grate 1420 to be inserted. The releasable/removable grate1420 rests upon the grate support ring 1816. Grate support ring 1816 andbrackets 1830 can be constructed of any suitable, durable material suchas aluminum, steel or stainless steel. These may be attached byconventional fasteners, or by welding. In addition, as discussed above,charcoal igniter 1800 can be constructed with upper airflow pipes 20, asin FIG. 10, such that the airflow pipes may be used as handles forlifting the fire chamber 1802. In this manner, after the extendedchimney stack 1800C has been removed, charcoal igniter 1800 fire chamber1802 can be moved to a cooking implement so that the ignited charcoal1810 can be deposited onto the cooking implement, as discussed earlier.It is to be further understood that charcoal igniter 1800 also includesreleasable/removable grate system 1420 located in opening 1740 whichallows charcoal igniter 1800 to easily and simply deposit the ignitedcharcoal 1810 onto the cooking implement, as discussed earner. Secondly,there is another option for discharging the ignited charcoal 1810 outthe bottom of the igniter, where the design of the releasable/removablegrate system 1740 and 1820 allows the entire unit to remain together andstationary as the ignited charcoal 1810 is deposited into the charcoaland ash collection pan 1805 below by removing grate 1420 with a pullingout action. In conclusion the user has options on how to discharge thecharcoal: one is to leave the entire igniter 1800 in place and dischargeout the bottom opening 1801A by actuating the releasable/removable grate1420; or by removing, relocating and dumping the fire chamber 1802 withthe releasable/removable grate 1420; or by removing and relocating firechamber 1802 and discharging by tipping it over and dumping it out.

Regarding FIG. 24A, there is illustrated still another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter 1900. Charcoal igniter 1900, includes, in part, uppersection 1900U, lower section 1900L and extended chimney stack 1900C.With respect to lower section 1900L, as shown in FIG. 24A, lower section1900L includes, in part, accelerator section 1901, opening 1901 a,charcoal and ash collection pan 1905, a plurality of support legs 1906,and lower leg support 1914. It is to be understood that the variouscomponents of lower section 1900L can be constructed of any suitable,durable material such as aluminum, steel or stainless steel. It is to befurther understood that the fire chamber 1902, as shown in FIG. 24A, isconstructed of the same materials as the fire chamber 2 illustrated inFIG. 1. It is to be even further understood that except for the use ofthe extended chimney stack 1900C, as discussed below, charcoal igniter1900 is constructed in substantially the same manner as charcoal igniter1000 and operates in substantially the same manner as charcoal igniter1000. It is to be understood that fire chamber 1902 may also have theupper airflow pipes 20 as in FIG. 10 igniter 1000. Although handles 1909are shown, the upper airflow pipes 20, as in igniter 1000 in FIG. 10 canalso serve as handles.

Located on top of conical top section 1903 is extended chimney stack1900C. Extended chimney stack 1900C includes handles 1909 a, chimneystack 1924, chimney stack openings 1924 a and 1924 b, and tab 1925. Thepurpose of extended chimney stack 1900C is to enhance the air flow draftthrough the utilization of a longer chimney stack 1924. It is to beunderstood that the components of extended chimney stack 1900C can beconstructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum, steel orstainless steel.

Regarding FIG. 24A, extended chimney stack 1900C includes at least onestrut 1922 that is conventionally attached at one end to the lower legsupport 1914 by conventional fasteners. The other end of strut 1922 isconventionally removably attached to tab 1925. Tab 1925 is attached tochimney stack 1924 by conventional fasteners. The purpose of strut 1922is to secure extended chimney stack 1900C to charcoal igniter 1900 sothat extended chimney stack 1900C does not easily fall off of charcoaligniter 1900. Also, it is to be understood that extended chimney stack1900C must be able to be easily removed from strut 1922 at tab 1925.

It is to be further understood that the other unique aspects of thecharcoal igniters 100, 600 and 1000 such as the venturi effect and theability to use the charcoal igniters 100, 600 and 1000 as a foodcooker/heater can equally be applied to charcoal igniter 1900.

In particular, due to the fact that the volume within acceleratorsection 1901 is greater than the volume of fire chamber 1902, a netincrease in the velocity of the air that passes throughreleasable/removable grate system 1420 and fire chamber 1902 is createdwhen air begins to flow through charcoal igniter 1900 once the charcoal1910 is ignited. Also, due to the fact that accelerator opening 1901 ais larger in diameter (or cross-section) than a diameter (orcross-section) of fire chamber 1902, air velocity atreleasable/removable grate system 1420 is increased. Further, due to thefact that charcoal 1910 further restricts the open passages in firechamber 1902, the air flow increases as the air goes through thecharcoal 1910 in the fire chamber 1902 on its way up and out of conicaltip section opening 1903 a. In this manner, the convective hot gasesflowing upward create more airflow up through accelerator opening 1901a. As heat is created in fire chamber 1902, an updraft is created withinfire chamber 1902. The dimensions and location of fire chamber 1902create a restriction in the air flow which cause the air flow toaccelerate even more through fire chamber 1902, and, as an alternativeconstruction, the upper airflow pipes 20, as in FIG. 10, draw in freshcool air, which allows the air to be distributed over substantially theentire amount of charcoal 1910 located within fire chamber 1902 therebyencouraging a quicker and more efficient complete ignition of thecharcoal 1910.

Another unique aspect of the present invention is the use of firechamber support brackets 1950, as shown in FIGS. 24B and 24C. Firechamber support brackets 1950 include, in part, bracket base 1952, andbracket arms 1956. Bracket arms and bracket base have holes 1954 tosecure it to the fire chamber 1902 and legs 1906 respectively. It is tobe understood that the components of fire chamber support brackets 1950can be constructed of any suitable, durable material such as aluminum,steel or stainless steel. In FIG. 24B, the bracket arms 1956 are weldedto the bracket base 1952, and conventional fasteners are used to connectfire chamber 1902 to the bracket arms 1956. It is to be understood thatall the connections could be welded, bolted or riveted.

As shown more clearly in FIGS. 24A and 24C, the leg/fire chamber bracketsystem 1950 is secured to each of the support legs 1906 at a locationthat allows the bottom of the fire chamber 1902 to be attached tobracket arms 1956 to form opening 1740. In particular, conventionalfasteners are placed in openings 1954 so that each of the fire chamberbracket arms 1956 can be secured to a support leg 1906. Additionally,each support leg 1906 can be also fastened to the bracket base 1952. Theunique aspect of this embodiment is that the fire chamber 1902 isrigidly attached to fire chamber support bracket arms 1956 to providestructural rigidity to charcoal igniter 1900. The grate 1420 rests nearthe top of bracket base 1952. The bracket arms 1956 hold up the firechamber 1902 slightly above the bracket base 1952 just enough so thereis room to slide grate 1420 in and out of the slot opening 1740. In thismanner, once the charcoal 1910 has been properly ignited, the usersimply removes releasable/removable grate system 1420 located in opening1740 which allows charcoal igniter 1900 to easily and simply deposit theignited charcoal 1901 onto the cooking implement (not shown), asdiscussed earlier.

Regarding FIG. 25A, there is illustrated still another embodiment of thecharcoal igniter 2000. Charcoal igniter 2000, includes, in part, uppersection 2000U and lower section 2000L. With respect to lower section2000L, as shown in FIG. 25A, lower section 2000L includes, in part,opening 2002, flared accelerator section 2004, releasable grate 2006,grate actuator 2008, damper plate 2012, and damper plate actuator 2014.It is to be understood that the various components of lower section2000L can be constructed of any suitable, durable material such asaluminum, steel or stainless steel. It is to be further understood thatthe refractory insert 2050, as shown in FIG. B, is constructed of arefractory (high heat) withstanding material such as a high heatconcrete castable material. It may be made by pre-casting the shapeindicated in FIG. 25B with a specialty concrete such as “MC-25 Plus”which is an aggregate castable product made by Harbison-Walker. It is tobe even further understood that except for the use of the extendedchimney stack 2024, as discussed below, charcoal igniter 2000 isconstructed in substantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 1000and operates in substantially the same manner as charcoal igniter 1000,1700, 1800, and 1900. With the exception of the grate and dampermechanism. The pre-cast or cast in place refractory insert 2050 convertsan ordinary pipe into a venturi fire chamber which is capable of highheat and extends the number of heat and cool cycles the fire chamber2054 will stand before thermally breaking down, and thus lengthens theuseful life of the product. The refractory insert 2050 may be attachedto the stack 2024 with conventional fasteners (screws) through thesidewall of the stack 2024.

Upper section 2000U includes, in part, extended chimney stack 2024 andchimney stack opening 2024 a The purpose of extended chimney stack 2024is to enhance the air flow draft through the utilization of a longerchimney stack 2024. It is to be understood that the components ofextended chimney stack 2024 can be constructed of any suitable, durablematerial such as aluminum, steel or stainless steel.

Another unique aspect of the present invention is the use of refractoryinsert 2050, as shown in FIG. 25B. Refractory insert 2050 includes, inpart, refractory insert upper conical opening 2052, fire chamber 2054,refractory insert sleeve 2056, refractory insert lower opening 2058,refractory insert lower conical opening 2060 and refractory insert upperopening 2062. As discussed above, it is to be understood that thecomponents of refractory insert 2050 can be constructed of a suitablerefractory material such as MC-25 Plus made by Harbison-Walker company,which is a high-heat castable concrete. By definition a refractory isnon-metallic material, however if an insert were desired to be made outof steel or stainless steel in the shape as shown in FIG. 25B, thepresent invention would function for igniting charcoal but it would notprovide the insulating qualities of a refractory material. It is to befurther understood that refractory insert 2050 is retained withinextended chimney stack 2024 of lower section 2000L by conventionalfasteners (screws). If desired, refractory insert 2050 may not bepermanently attached to the inside of extended chimney stack 2024 sothat refractory insert 2050 can be easily removed and replaced.

It is to be further understood that the other unique aspects of thecharcoal igniters 100, 600 and 1000 such as the venturi effect; and theupper airflow pipes 20 as in FIG. 10 and used in igniters 600, 1000, and1700 are applied to this embodiment as well for increased ignition rate.In addition the ability to use charcoal igniters 100, 600 and 1000 as afood cooker/heater can equally be applied to charcoal igniter 2000.

In particular, due to the fact that the volume within flared acceleratorsection 2004 is greater than the volume of fire chamber 2054, a netincrease in the velocity of the air that passes through releasable grate2006 and fire chamber 2054 is created when air begins to flow throughcharcoal igniter 2000 once the charcoal 2010 is ignited. Also, due tothe fact that flared accelerator section opening 2002 is larger incross-section than a cross-section of fire chamber 2054, air velocity atreleasable grate 2006 is increased. Further, due to the fact thatcharcoal 2010 further restricts the open passages in fire chamber 2054,the air flow increases as the air goes through the charcoal 2010 in therefractory insert 2050 on its way up and out of refractory insert upperconical opening 2052. In this manner, the convective hot gases flowingupward create more airflow up through flared accelerator section 2004.As heat is created in fire chamber 2054, an updraft is created withinfire chamber 2054. The dimensions and location of refractory insert 2050create a restriction in the air flow which cause the air flow toaccelerate even more through refractory insert 2050 which allows the airto be distributed over substantially the entire amount of charcoal 2010located within refractory insert 2050 thereby encouraging a quicker andmore efficient complete ignition of the charcoal 2010. Further, theupper airflow pipes 20 illustrated earlier in FIG. 10 could enter thefire chamber area (as shown with respect to igniter 1000), wherein theupper airflow pipes could be used to further accelerate burning withinthe refractory insert fire chamber 2054. One skilled in the art couldextend the airflow pipes 20 through the wall of the stack 2024 andthrough the refractory insert 2050.

With respect to lower section 2000L, as discussed above, lower section2000L includes releasable grate 2006, grate actuator 2008, damper plate2012 and damper plate actuator 2014. A unique aspect of this embodimentis that releasable grate 2006, grate actuator 2008, damper plate 2012and damper plate actuator 2014 allow properly ignited charcoal 2010 tobe easily deposited onto the cooking implement (not shown), as discussedearner. In particular, after the charcoal 2010 has been properlyignited, the user simply has to move the grate actuator 2008 so thatreleasable grate 2006 is rotated downward towards accelerator section2004. This will allow the ignited charcoal 2010 to be deposited onto thecooking implement (not shown). After the ignited charcoal 2010 has beendeposited onto the cooking implement, the user then simply moves thegrate actuator 2008 so that releasable grate 2006 is rotated towardsrefractory insert 2050. It is to be understood that the igniter 2000 canhave legs conventionally attached to accelerator section 2004 to offerground support as in other embodiments. Furthermore, igniter 2000 can beoperatively attached to a pivoting extension 1760, as shown in FIG. 20.

Another unique aspect of this embodiment is the use of damper plate 2012and damper plate actuator 2014. In particular, if there is aninsufficient flow of air from accelerator section 2004 towardsrefractory insert 2050, the user simply moves damper plate actuator 2014so that the volume of air between flared accelerator section 2004 andfire chamber 2054 is increased. Conversely, if there is too much flow ofair from accelerator section 2004 towards refractory insert 2050, theuser simply moves damper plate actuator 2014 so that the volume of airbetween flared accelerator section 2004 and fire chamber 2054 isdecreased. The damper arrangement can be used to regulate fire heatduring cooking. Also, it can be used to lengthen the shelf life of theignited charcoal 2010 as it awaits the proper time to dump it into thecooking implement 1750.

The preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Itwill thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able todevise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described orshown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are includedwithin its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples and conditionallanguage recited herein are principally intended expressly to be onlyfor pedagogical purposes and to aid the reader in understanding theprinciples of the invention and the concepts contributed by theinventors to furthering the art, and are to be construed as beingwithout limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions.Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, andembodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, areintended to encompass both structural and functional equivalentsthereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future,i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardlessof structure.

This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read inconnection with the figures of the accompanying drawing, which are to beconsidered part of the entire written description. In the description,relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”“above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well asderivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,”etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then describedor as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms arefor convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus beconstructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms concerningattachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and“interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are securedor attached to one another either directly or indirectly throughintervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments orrelationships, unless expressly described otherwise.

All patents, publications, scientific articles, web sites, and otherdocuments and materials referenced or mentioned herein are indicative ofthe levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which the inventionpertains, and each such referenced document and material is herebyincorporated by reference to the same extent as if it had beenincorporated by reference in its entirety individually or set forthherein in its entirety. Applicants reserve the right to physicallyincorporate into this specification any and all materials andinformation from any such patents, publications, scientific articles,web sites, electronically available information, and other referencedmaterials or documents to the extent such incorporated materials andinformation are not inconsistent with the description herein.

The written description portion of this patent includes all claims.Furthermore, all claims, including all original claims as well as allclaims from any and all priority documents, are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety into the written description portion of thespecification, and Applicant(s) reserve the right to physicallyincorporate into the written description or any other portion of theapplication, any and all such claims. Thus, for example, under nocircumstances may the patent be interpreted as allegedly not providing awritten description for a claim on the assertion that the precisewording of the claim is not set forth specifically in writtendescription portion of the patent.

The claims will be interpreted according to law. However, andnotwithstanding the alleged or perceived ease or difficulty ofinterpreting any claim or portion thereof, under no circumstances mayany adjustment or amendment of a claim or any portion thereof duringprosecution of the application or applications leading to this patent beinterpreted as having forfeited any right to any and all equivalentsthereof that do not form a part of the prior art.

All of the features disclosed in this specification may be combined inany combination. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each featuredisclosed is only an example of a generic series of equivalent orsimilar features.

It is to be understood that while the invention has been described inconjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoingdescription is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Thus,from the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, although specificembodiments of the invention have been described herein for the purposeof illustration, various modifications may be made without deviatingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Other aspects, advantages,and modifications are within the scope of the following claims and thepresent invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

The specific methods and compositions described herein arerepresentative of preferred embodiments and are exemplary and notintended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Other objects,aspects, and embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art uponconsideration of this specification, and are encompassed within thespirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the claims. It willbe readily apparent to one skilled in the art that varying substitutionsand modifications may be made to the invention disclosed herein withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. The inventionillustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absenceof any element or elements, or limitation or limitations, which is notspecifically disclosed herein as essential. Thus, for example, in eachinstance herein, in embodiments or examples of the present invention,the terms “comprising”, “including”, “containing”, etc. are to be readexpansively and without limitation. The methods and processesillustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in differingorders of steps, and that they are not necessarily restricted to theorders of steps indicated herein or in the claims.

The terms and expressions that have been employed are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and there is no intent in the use ofsuch terms and expressions to exclude any equivalent of the featuresshown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized thatvarious modifications are possible within the scope of the invention asclaimed. Thus, it will be understood that although the present inventionhas been specifically disclosed by various embodiments and/or preferredembodiments and optional features, any and all modifications andvariations of the concepts herein disclosed that may be resorted to bythose skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of thisinvention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention has been described broadly and generically herein. Each ofthe narrower species and sub-generic groupings falling within thegeneric disclosure also form part of the invention. This includes thegeneric description of the invention with a proviso or negativelimitation removing any subject matter from the genus, regardless ofwhether or not the excised material is specifically recited herein.

It is also to be understood that as used herein and in the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referenceunless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the term “X and/or Y”means “X” or “Y” or both “X” and “Y”, and the letter “s” following anoun designates both the plural and singular forms of that noun. Inaddition, where features or aspects of the invention are described interms of Markush groups, it is intended and those skilled in the artwill recognize, that the invention embraces and is also therebydescribed in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members ofthe Markush group.

Other embodiments are within the following claims. Therefore, the patentmay not be interpreted to be limited to the specific examples orembodiments or methods specifically and/or expressly disclosed herein.Under no circumstances may the patent be interpreted to be limited byany statement made by any Examiner or any other official or employee ofthe Patent and Trademark Office unless such statement is specificallyand without qualification or reservation expressly adopted in aresponsive writing by Applicants.

Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claimsshould be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodimentsof the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.

Other modifications and implementations will occur to those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the inventionas claimed. Accordingly, the description hereinabove is not intended tolimit the invention, except as indicated in the appended claims.

Therefore, provided herein are a new and improved charcoal igniterhaving a venturi effect. The preferred charcoal igniter having a venturieffect, according to various embodiments of the present invention,offers the following advantages: ease of use of the charcoal igniter;excellent charcoal ignition capabilities; the ability to use thecharcoal igniter as a food cooker; the ability to provide airsubstantially throughout the entire amount of charcoal in the igniter;lightness in weight; excellent durability; portability; the ability todump out the ignited charcoal without having to excessively handle thecharcoal igniter; the ability to move the charcoal igniter out of theway of the grilling surface after the ignited charcoal has been dumpedinto the grilling area; and reduced cost. In fact, in many of thepreferred embodiments, these advantages of ease of use, excellentcharcoal ignition capabilities, the ability to use the charcoal igniteras a food cooker, the ability to provide air substantially throughoutthe entire amount of charcoal in the igniter, lightness in weight,durability, portability, the ability to dump out the ignited charcoalwithout having to excessively handle the charcoal igniter, the abilityto move the charcoal igniter out of the way of the grilling surfaceafter the ignited charcoal has been dumped into the grilling area, andreduced cost are optimized to an extent that is considerably higher thanheretofore achieved in prior, known charcoal igniters.

I claim:
 1. An upper section that includes a fire chamber having adistal end and a proximal end such that a removable/releasable grate islocated adjacent to the distal end of the fire chamber, wherein anamount of charcoal to be ignited is located within the fire chamber andadjacent to the releasable grate; and a lower section including aconical section having a distal end and a proximal end such that theproximal end of the conical section is located adjacent to the uppersection and the distal end of the conical section includes a conicalsection opening, wherein the conical opening has a diameter that islarger than a diameter of the fire chamber; and wherein the upper andlower sections form a side wall at least partially containing the firechamber, wherein there is a continuous and annular side opening locatedwithin the side wall, wherein a portion of the removable/releasablegrate is located within the side opening of the charcoal igniter andfood cooker; and wherein a plurality of brackets interconnect the distalend of the fire chamber and a top end of the lower section, wherein theupper and lower sections are spaced apart by the side opening and heldin place by the brackets.
 2. The charcoal igniter and food cooker,according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of support brackets isfurther comprised of: a pivoting support pivotally connected to one ofthe plurality of support brackets, wherein the pivoting support includesat least one support extension having a first end and a second end,wherein the first end of the pivoting support is operatively connectedto one of the plurality of support brackets.
 3. The charcoal igniter andfood cooker, according to claim 2, wherein the pivoting support isfurther comprised of: a cooking implement having a plurality of supportlegs, wherein the second end of the pivoting support is operativelyconnected to one of the support legs.